Member Reviews
Since I've been watching cute teen romances lately, Perfect Harmony can be said to be a perfect addition to that experience.
Though it has the typical story line where girl meets new boy in school, all the drama happens in between (love triangles, best friend problems, boyfriend problem), fate brings boy and girl together, I really enjoyed the chemistry going on, especially when it comes to music.
Yes, I'm a sucker for stories with musical instruments involved. And in this case, it's the cello. I loved how both the girl, Pippa, and the boy, Declan, were so passionate about the cello, they could express themselves and leave everyone in awe. Imagining that was amazing.
The only parts I found to be too much were the kissings. Although it did make me feel all warm inside, I think it was overdone. I was starting to wonder if it was true love or just physical. Every moment they were together, they just wanted to kiss. I find that a bit disturbing and misleading for teens who will think that this is an example of true love.
Overall, I still enjoyed the story. It was an exciting and relaxing read for me.
I want to thank Amberjack Publishing for allowing me to review a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was excited to read this book, as I used to play the cello, and was in orchestras at school, like the main character. I thought the author dealt well with describing the instruments, their cases, the music room store, and so on, without it seeming patronising.
However, I found the set-up unrealistic: the children in the orchestra didn’t seem to like each other much, they seemed too competitive for a school orchestra - working together day in, day out it would have been more natural if this group was described as more collaborative. As it was, there was not enough contrast when Declan arrived as the disrupting force.
The writing felt very rushed, and very simple, and I found a lot of things explained retrospectively which disrupted the flow. As a result I did not enjoy the chapters I read, and I eventually gave up without finishing the book.
This was so adorably cute!
I greatly enjoyed reading this book! I found Pippa very likeable and admirable especially when it comes to her passion and dedication to music. I think it's also worth noting that she has a good sense of idea on the things she wants to accomplish in life. I could probably learn a thing or two from her, to be honest. Declan's character has its own charm, as well. Underneath his cocky personality is a warm, sincere, and gentle boy you wish you could keep in your life forever. The supporting characters are not doing so bad, either. Charisma is all over the place, and it's so nice to see how well they go together despite still having some differences. Lastly, I'd like to commend how skillfully contructed the words are. I was immensely absorbed by how beautifully they were strung together that it's so hard to put it down; I almost forgot the bacon I was cooking. There were just some preditable parts, but it's not really a big deal.
This was to me a cutesy albeit predictable YA romance. I got what I asked for from this book; I came looking for a YA romance that has loads of tropes and was light and fluffy and I got just that. To be honest, there wasn't anything in this book that I haven't already seen in other books but it didn't bother me one bit. I liked the slow burn romance, the cheesiness and the "which guy will she pick" (because obviously there was a love triangle in this one, just a heads up if you're over that trope). I have a weekness for books that are set on the West coast and/or have artsy characters so for my this hit all the right spots. However, I did dislike some semi minor characters quite a bit, the ending felt slightly rushed and the cheesiness almost got a bit much (YMMV, of course). All in all, for me this was a solid three star read.
Perfect Harmony by Emily Albright is an emotional, fun, and delightful YA contemporary romance. I love this genre, even though I am far from a YA. There is something so innocent about first loves. Pippa Wyndham has always been the top cellist in her school until Declan Brogan's arrival her senior year in high school. I love the quirky people and situations in this book, and watching the characters grow. I found this book to be a quick read, and recommend it to all YA romance readers, young and old.
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I seriously enjoyed this book - a lot more than I thought I would! I went into it with average expectations, I knew it was a typical romancey-type book probably filled with cliches which are fine but usually my type of book. This, however, was so much better than I expected. I loved the narrator, Pippa, and her mom (and dad) were the kind of parents we need more of in YA - present, supportive, funny and just lovely! Quinn was someone I didn't like at all, and I do feel like a lot of the issues between Quinn and Pippa could have been avoided with a bit of communication. Declan was super sweet and although Noah redeemed himself at the end of the book, I hated him throughout the story. I'm not a musician, never have been, but I loved hearing about all of Pippa's cello adventures.
I love Pippa! I wasn't about her at first because her whole life is cello and music, and that's totally not me, but she was so relatable and funny. I loved Pippa's dynamic with her family, but I found her relationship with her friends (while pretty accurate for high school) frustrating. A good part of the book is Pippa denying herself happiness instead of doing what makes her happy. The budding love/hate relationship of Declan and Pippa is contentious and adorable, and I would like a Declan please. I've loved all of Emily Albright's books and I was so glad this one lived up on the cuteness factor.
This book was a pleasant surprise and one I have no doubt will be read by many in the coming months. I enjoyed reading about Pippa and how driven she was, there are times when reading a book I wish they had a soundtrack to go with them and this was one of those times! I would've loved to have heard Pippa and Declan's playing and duet. I'm not a musical person at all but I really enjoyed this book and still found I could relate to the struggles that Pippa was going through.
When I saw this books cover on netgalley I was completely mesmerised by its cover, I mean LOOK AT IT . Its so pretty ahhhhhh. To be honest the books cover is pretty important to be , I choose books with pretty covers 99% of the time . Once I read the synopsis of the book, the deal is sealed, Im definitely reading this book.
First up, FYI I finished reading this book or around 3 hours so by the time I finished reading it ,it was around 1 AM . Another thing about the book is that there is a quote related to music at the start of each chapter, the quotes are so relatable and are so nice reminders too!
Lets get into the book's content , I would say this is a pretty decent book. There are a few cliche scenes here and there and the plot is pretty predictable so if you don't like these sort of cliche scenes and stuff I'll recommend you stay off this book. Personally, i think Pip's liking toward Declan developed wayyyyyyy too fast , it surpassed her 10 year crush in a mere 2-3 weeks I find that unbelievable.
Now now not trying to hate on this book , the book is pretty good, the author's tone was very smooth and straight foward and the plot flowed smoothly. Because you know some books can be really boring at the start , and this is not the case. *cough another book i'm reading cough*
Another thing is that this book is very comfortable to read, there aren't any major plot twist inside , it's calm, cute, enjoyable and a light read . Pip and Declan's relationship is so cute and adorable . If you're into cutey adorable relationship this is definitely the book for you.
I enjoyed everything about this book and stayed up late reading it way too many times. It felt like a very honest representation of the high school experience, and I related so much with Pippa. There was plenty of drama, confusing emotions, friendship hurtles, music talk, great parenting, adorable banter - this list could go on and on!
Pippa is a driven teen who knew exactly what she wanted out of life. Her goals were solid, she put in the work to achieve them, and her support system was cheering her on along the way. But then Declan showed up and complicated so much of her plans in such a hilariously cute way. It was clear how things would develop (the love triangle in this book didn't stand a chance!), but I enjoyed seeing how it all came about. There were tons of scenes that had me grinning uncontrollably and rereading simply for the enjoyment I got out of them.
The supporting characters all had a part to play, and they definitely played them well - some a bit too well: *cough cough* Quinn. Pippa's family was so lovely and there were many great friendships and relationships featured throughout the book. There were just enough scenes with these characters to show how important they were to Pippa and Declan's story, but the focus was perfectly kept on the two main characters.
I loved all the musical talk and how important Pippa's cello was to her. I love the sound a cello makes, so I will definitely be looking up all the songs mentioned in this book! Also, the quotes at the beginning of each chapter were a lovely addition. Music was a way to bring Pippa and Declan together, but it didn't feel like a pawn in the story - it really mattered to who they both were deep inside. Pippa still had a strong storyline without Declan there, and I think that's missing from so many of the books that feature high school girls. Her life kept moving and she didn't have an identity crisis without a guy by her side, so it was lovely to read about such a strong and motivated young lady. The ups and downs of her senior year made for a great read that I would strongly recommend!
Perfect Harmony was a cute, sweet and really well-written book.
In it, we follow Pippa. She's a high school student and a talented cellist. She has her whole life figured out until Declan appears out of nowhere and challenges her.
I really enjoyed the romance between the two of them. It's not insta-love and I appreciated that. I really liked the enemies-to-lovers kinda trope here.
While I really enjoyed the book during the first half of it, around 60% I believe, the characters were so annoying and immature. I know it's a YA so some drama was expected but it was just ridiculous. I didn't like Quinn. She was a selfish friend and I wish the "problems" (which really weren't big problems at all) would have been solved more quickly with a bit of communication.
But overall, I really liked it!
I really enjoyed this light hearted story from Emily Albright. While the story was rather predictable and the characters were nothing I haven't seen before, it definitely satisfied me after several high fantasy books.
The enemies to lovers trope is one of my favorites to read in YA romance and this one definitely nailed it in terms of the trope. I also really enjoyed the giant love triangle (more like a pentagon) that was happening in Perfect Harmony. It created an interesting story line as the friendships and relationships wove together.
The music aspect of this story was another thing that really intrigued me. As someone who was in band in high school, it was interesting to be back in that state of mind while reading the story. While I never had dreams of pursuing music in college, it was really interesting to see it play out in the story.
I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I think this story of Pippa and Declan is sweet and kind of funny. It is a YA of enemies to friends to crush and maybe love. I love the rivalry between the two and that turns to this crazy kind of friendship. But Pippa is not sure what to do with all the feelings that is being inspired by Declan. It cause a lot of worries and fears for her. There is a lot for her to work out and make decisions on what is important and how much she wants to follow her heart. I did enjoy that each chapter ended with a musical quote. It added something to it. I also enjoyed that the author made a playlist for this book. I found it on her website and wish I had discovered it while reading the book. That is all for now what to know what happens grab a copy when the book goes live.
I didn't know what to expect when I started reading Emily Albright's Perfect Harmony but I have to say I really enjoyed this book. I am a big fan of how Emily draws you into her story and this one was one of her best works yet. A MUST READ FOR ALL
The Quick Cut: A girl finds her musical world shaken when a new guy joins her high school - gunning for her first chair as the cellist in band.
A Real Review:
Thank you to Amberjack Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book absolutely surprised me with its ability to wrap me up in the plot and highly competitive musical world that this book takes place in. Even though it is primarily a romance, it very much served a strong plot that continued to provide complex characters with difficult emotional entanglements.
Pippa has spent her life dedicated to her cello, Francesca. It's what she loves to play and the thing that she has planned her entire future around. No one else in her school can come close to her ability or talent, so her dream of going to a college named Goddards is looking good. That is until a new transtar student named Declan shows up with a cocky attitude promising to take Pippa's first cellist chair from her. Even worse, she's forced to work with him as a duo on a piece together! How can she hold onto her rightful place without him getting too close?
These two really do have the greatest natural chemistry. What starts as hate turns to love in a truly natural way and it isn't rushed (which I find to be a common issue with these types of books). Pippa is so goals focused that she doesn't want anything to get in her way and Declan has a way of getting past that barrier in her mind. In the same manner, Declan can be a bit abrasive and Pippa softens him up.
Like anything, this book isn't entirely perfect. Some of the blockages between Pippa and Declan I found a bit unbelievable. This girl will continue to go over to her best friend's house to make it right over and over, but gives up at the first sign with Declan? How does that rationale work?
Other than a few glaring logic issues, this cute romance tale will keep you moving to the music.
After years of dedication to her craft, Pippa was at the top of her game. Selected for the youth orchestra, first chair in her school's orchestra, and right on track for admissions to the best music program in the country. Everything was going according to plan until HE showed up. For the first time in her life, there was another cellist, who played at her level, and she felt her dreams slipping through her fingers.
I enjoyed this book so much! My love of romance is well-known, and well, in simplest terms, this was a romance. You may hear people say something about a love triangle, but that was non-existent for me, because all I saw was Pippa and Declan. I shipped them from the get. They had a little bit of a friendly competition between them, and I think each was somewhat threatened by the other, but once they were assigned a their duet, their friendship started to flourish. I mean, they figuratively AND literally made music together. What more could you ask for?
I loved these two together, but I also loved them apart. Pippa was a force to be reckoned with. She was so focused and so driven. I really admire people, who dedicate themselves to something with their heart, body, and soul, and you could tell this was the case with Pippa. She was so lucky to have such an awesome, supportive family too, because that was not necessarily the case with Declan.
Declan had a strained relationship with his father after the divorce, and his mother was often absent due to her career. I know Declan was almost 18, but he still needed his parent love and support. My heart ached a little for him.
I have to believe that Albright is a music lover, because the passion and adoration Pippa had for music was very authentic. I also thought the scenes where she was playing were so well written. I found myself swept up in the melody of it all. And the quotes featured at the beginning of each chapter were such a lovely little extra. I looked forward to them with each chapter I began.
I had some small issues with this book. I struggled a little with Pippa's best friend. She was pretty selfish and self-centered, and seemed to have a history of not being a great best friend. However, I think Albright did a decent job addressing that later in the book, and I was able to move past it, because like I said, this was all about the Pippa and Declan for me.
I am well known for being an endings critic, and I am here to say: A+ ending. I smiled, experienced lots of feels, and was just so elated from the ending to this book. It was everything I could have wished for, and there's nothing like going out on a high note.
Make no mistake, the tears I cried were happy tears. This book wrapped its arms around this romance lovers heart, and held tight. It was such a joy to be a part of Pippa's journey, and found my only complaint was I wanted more.
Perfect Harmony is a very sweet, fast-paced book. Even if you don't like it, I doubt you won't get to the end, as it's very easy to read.
All the characters in this book are good, real people with flaws and personalities, but real, instead of just stereotyped personalities without any personal qualities.
Also, thank you Emily Albright for not falling to the easy "let's use misunderstandings as the only plot creation device". Because this book does contain scenes where misunderstandings leave to complicated situations, but every single time something can be solved talking it out or being clear somehow, the characters end up being reasonable enough to do so.
If I were to point out a negative it would be that some of her relationships, like the one with her brother, should have been more developed, so we know her better.
Also her feeling for Noah, so either her feelings for Declan don't feel so sudden or so we see how they fade and comprehend it better.
I loved this light hearted read a lot! I wasn’t sure if I would like it not being very musically inclined personally. However, this is the type of book I needed to read at this moment.
I do love the enemies to love trope and when I read that on the description on Netgalley I was intrigued to say the least. I loved Pippa’s development of a character with her relationship with Declan, although knowing that going to college for cello was still her main goal above a boy.
I can't wait to get my hands on a hard copy of this book!
This book is a sweet romantic story involving one girl and her love interests as she navigates the way through achieving her dream of entering the college of her choice. Although the characters were not very versatile in terms of round/flat characters and the plot line's ending was predictable, the story was enjoyable from the beginning. I enjoyed the moments of tension created between certain characters, especially during kiss scenes. I also enjoyed the fact that this author chose to paint the main character as a cellist. The fact that Pippa is a cellist means that there is some terminology and there are some scenes in the book around the theme of music. I especially liked the touch of quotes in every chapter about music.
I loved this book! Music and angst and the push and pull of a YA romance woven together seamlessly through the author's lush writing style. Things get complicated and emotional and I enjoyed it very much. I love a good romance but more I love strong writing and storytelling and this author was quite the find. I look forward to reading more of her work.